The Health Insurance Game

This video is a skit written by supporters of HR 676 the single payer national health insurance bill in Congress (John Conyers - Michigan). All other industrialized countries have universal national health care. Their medical costs are far less than ours are in the United States but their health outcomes are as good or better.

Americans have seen their health insurance premiums increase by 87% from 2000 to 2006 while their earnings only increased by 20% and the average rate of overall inflation was 18% during the same time period (Kaiser Family Foundation).

Why does your health care cost so much?

Data from the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy show that:

1. The top seven U.S. health insurers earned a combined $10 billion dollars - nearly triple their profits of 5 years earlier (Wall Street Journal, August 2006).

2. In 2004 top executives of the 11 largest health insurers made a combined $85 million per year in one year (Weiss Reports).

3. The 20 largest HMOs in the U.S. made $10.8 billion in profits in the fiscal year 2005. 12 top HMO executives pocketed $222.6 million in direct compensation in the fiscal year 2005.

4. Dr. William McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealthcare had $1.6 billion in exercisable options at the end of 2005 (CBN News, Oct. 16, 2006) in addition to his salary.

30%-35% of each dollar of your premium goes to pay for: executive salaries, administration, lobbying, marketing and other non-health care related costs.

It's time for privately delivered health care with public funding - like our Fire Departments and Police. It's time for HR 676.

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[beverlytran1]

Nice video!  Congressman Conyers loves it!!!

[DrChristineAdams]

@beverlytran1 If Congressman Conyers loves this video, he should check out Health Care for All Texas' healthcare calculator which is based on HR 676. A demo of how to use it is 1 of the 4 videos we have uploaded onto our Youtube channel plus it's on our website - HCFAT.org. Thanks for your comment.

[modifiedcontent]

Dr. Donald Berwick, the man who will run your health care: "I cannot believe that the individual health care consumer can enforce through choice the proper configurations of a system as massive and complex as health care. That is for leaders to do. ... A progressive policy regime will control and rationalize financing—control supply. ... About 8% of GDP is plenty for 'best known' care."

[DrChristineAdams]

No other industrialized country permits for-profit health plans to play a central role in financing health care. Health plans are unnecessary. They do not provide that actual health care - health professionals do that nor do they raise funds independent of your premiums. Taxpayers pay for all health care in this nation. With a national program we would some control. We have no control over the private plans now. None of the democracies with national health care are voting to have our system.

[clusterfacker]

Insurance co's are frauds. They have relinquished all rights to have the field to themselves. Even the Republicans acknowledged that health care needed to be fixed, during the elections in 2008. It is time to take the corruption out of this.

[FTM963]

This video is a nice illustration that "insurance" companies aren't in the insurance business, they are in the "middle-man" business. Real insurance is about pooling risk. But these insurance companies are about avoiding risk and expense in order to maximize profits, which is what their shareholders demand. Bad arrangement. GO HR 676!!!

[kd1s]

We could stop it! It will require doctors and patients to negotiate a price for service, cut the insurance bandits out COMPLETELY!

[shaochiavang]

@DrChristineAdams

The health insurance is just greedy with their money (fact) , they would do anything just go get a few pennies into their piggybank.

[modifiedcontent]

@DrChristineAdams. Bullshit. I'm from the Netherlands. There are more market mechanisms in the Dutch healthcare sector than in the US at the moment. Healthcare is a service like any other; someone provides it and someone has to pay for the costs. Making healthcare a government service is a step towards totalitarian socialism/fascism, which is why you want it of course.

[hadenufnow]

look chumps,,

just PAY for MY HELF CAYA NOW...I be NEEB you to BUY my HELF CAYA for me an my byotches wid da helf problems and all dem kids be poppin out soze I can git me a good mj type doctor wid dem good trippin scrips soze i can kick da cough syrup man you know what i mean...now smile when i tole you dat man..it all be worf it man,,,,all be worf it...

[omegapointil]

And the MUTANTS will STILL not want to believe your not advocating socialism. Okay then, you can pay my premium AND wear a powdered wig while you do it.

H.I. is the enemy of working people, they're MIDDLE MEN. They shuffle paper not treat patients you putz's.

[newmoon51]

Oh, and, by the way-Great job on this video!